If you have been reading this series of posts about Developer Training, you can probably determine where my mind lies in the matter – firmly “pro.” There are many reasons to think that training is an excellent idea for the company. In the end, it may seem like the company gets all the benefits and the employee has just wasted a few hours in a dark, stuffy room. However, don’t let yourself be fooled, this is not the case!

Training, Company and YOU!

Do not forget, that as an employee, you are your company’s best asset. Training is meant to benefit the company, of course, but in the end, YOU, the employee, is the one who walks away with a lot of useful knowledge in your head. This post will discuss what to do with that knowledge, how to acquire it, and who should pay for it.

Eternal Question – Who Pays for Training?

When the subject of training comes up, money is often the sticky issue. Some companies will argue that because the employee is the one who benefits the most, he or she should pay for it. Of course, whenever money is discuss, emotions tend to follow along, and being told you have to pay money for mandatory training often results in very unhappy employees – the opposite result of what the training was supposed to accomplish. Therefore, many companies will pay for the training. However, if your company is reluctant to pay for necessary training, or is hesitant to pay for a specific course that is extremely expensive, there is always the art of compromise. The employee and the company can split the cost of the training – after all, both the company and the employee will be benefiting.

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This kind of “hybrid” pay scheme can be split any way that is mutually beneficial. There is the obvious 50/50 split, but for extremely expensive classes or conferences, this still might be prohibitively expensive for the employee. If you are facing this situation, here are some example solutions you could suggest to your employer: travel reimbursement, paid leave, payment for only the tuition. There are even more complex solutions – the company could pay back the employee after the training and project has been completed.

Training is not Vacation

Once the classes have been settled on, and the question of payment has been answered, it is time to attend your class or travel to your conference! The first rule is one that your mothers probably instilled in you as well – have a good attitude. While you might be looking forward to your time off work, going to an interesting class, hopefully with some friends and coworkers, but do not mistake this time as a vacation. It can be tempting to only have fun, but don’t forget to learn as well. I call this “attending sincerely.” Pay attention, have an open mind and good attitude, and don’t forget to take notes! You might be surprised how many people will want to see what you learned when you go back.

Report Back the Learning

When you get back to work, those notes will come in handy. Your supervisor and coworkers might want you to give a short presentation about what you learned. Attending these classes can make you almost a celebrity. Don’t be too nervous about these presentations, and don’t feel like they are meant to be a test of your dedication. Many people will be genuinely curious – and maybe a little jealous that you go to go learn something new. Be generous with your notes and be willing to pass your learning on to others through mini-training sessions of your own.

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Practice New Learning

On top of helping to train others, don’t forget to put your new knowledge to use! Your notes will come in handy for this, and you can even include your plans for the future in your presentation when you return. This is a good way to demonstrate to your bosses that the money they paid (hopefully they paid!) is going to be put to good use.

Feedback to Manager

When you return, be sure to set aside a few minutes to talk about your training with your manager. Be perfectly honest – your manager wants to know the good and the bad. If you had a truly miserable time, do not lie and say it was the best experience – you and others may be forced to attend the same training over and over again! Of course, you do not want to sound like a complainer, so make sure that your summary includes the good news as well. Your manager may be able to help you understand more of what they wanted you to learn, too.

Win-Win Situation

In the end, remember that training is supposed to be a benefit to the employer as well as the employee. Make sure that you share your information and that you give feedback about how you felt the sessions went as well as how you think this training can be implemented at the company immediately.

We had been to a training a couple of years back. After the completion of the course, our manager offered to pay the tuition fee..but we did not availed it as we felt that we got benefited by the training and so we would pay the fee.!!

Another great post, Sir!!
After reading it, I found another two questions:
1. Who pays for the training? Indeed, it’s a big question!!
2. Is the training available for Corporate or Individual? Most of the time, it is available for Corporate
3. Did you get Leaves to attend the training? Another big question, if it is not arranged by the company

The point which you mentioned on Reporting Back the Learning is really important. Because in a practical scenario, only few select folks would be able to make it to the training (due to cost, seat availability, and work load etc.), even though many people are interested to attend it. And in many organizations, people are sent for trainings/sessions on a rotation basis, hence next time when someone else goes for a training, they would post the learnings back which inturn will help us. Hence posting the learnings back is really essential both from an individual’s as well as an organization’s standpoint!!

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About Pinal Dave

Pinal Dave is a Pluralsight Developer Evangelist. He has authored 11 SQL Server database books, 17 Pluralsight courses and have written over 3200 articles on the database technology on his blog at a http://blog.sqlauthority.com. Along with 11+ years of hands on experience he holds a Masters of Science degree and a number of certifications, including MCTS, MCDBA and MCAD (.NET). His past work experiences include Technology Evangelist at Microsoft and Sr. Consultant at SolidQ. Follow @pinaldave
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